Isolated (Stardew Valley)

Epilogue

THE VALLEY WAS quiet at night. It has been these past few months.

The farm's vast space of land was once filled–with apple-shaped creatures that tiptoed along the grass, of glowing orbs that danced in the dark. Now, they didn't appear anymore; the forest barely stirred, the waters of the pond was reduced to silence. It was like a well of magic that ran dry.

As the moon hung abandoned in the dark sky, I sat alone in front of the fireplace. The fire rose and fell, its cackle the only sound that murmured. The heat of the flames inched closer to me.

I barely noticed the beads of sweat that slid down my face as the flames took shape. They twisted and curled almost mockingly, morphing into a woman. It made up her fiery red hair, the sly grin. The fire grew bigger, stronger, until they loomed over me like a beast and dominated even the shadows.

I looked to my left, to my right. Chilling laughter filled the air. Sweat ran along my skin; my pants became heavy.

Anne was here. She always was.

"Get out of my head!" I screamed to nothing yet it was everything.

Without thinking, I grabbed the nearest thing I could find—a blanket—and shoved it in the fireplace. The fire consumed it almost instantly and its flames heightened even more.

For a moment I just stood there. Helpless. I couldn't do anything. My mind flashed back to a memory of the docks just briefly before I snapped back to reality. I rushed over to the sink, filled a bowl of water and drenched it onto the flames. The cackling stopped.

I breathed heavily as I stood there, gripping the empty bowl in hand. Blood pooled on the ground and engulfed me. I blinked rapidly. It was ashes. Just ashes. Not blood.

"You're at home, June," I reminded myself calmly as my heart thundered in my ears. "Anne is gone. You're safe."

I stared at the floor, unconvinced. Even months later, my sister still haunted me. I couldn't forget, not when her eyes resembled mine, when the mark she left on this town was so deep. Her resentment over me turned into a rage that consumed her entirely, that she was able to take the place I had loved most and destroyed it.

I shook my head and breathed out once again. Harvey told me once over counselling sessions that focusing on my breathing patterns would help me relax. I clung on to the false hope that it would.

I breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, in and—

Beep!

In and out. In and out. In—

Beep!

...and out—

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beeeeeeep!

I stopped.

Breathing out once more, I calmly walked over to the door, pulled it open and was blinded by bright light. I turned my gaze to the side to see who was there.

And not to my surprise, it was Sam.

He sat comfortably on a motorcycle at the bottom of the porch. The headlights, along with the moon's glow lit him up as he peered cheerfully at me. "Hi June!"

I stared at him, hard.

"Well, you don't look impressed," he mused.